The kids and I went off to the supermarket the other day in search of some yoghurt. I usually make my own, but stupidly used up the very last of it without saving a little to make my next batch. Duh. Anyways, here we were standing in front of the chiller section looking at all the yoghurts on offer. I really only needed the smallest tub of the natural stuff to get my new batch going, but for some strange reason I couldn't go past the huge 2kg tub of Greek yoghurt on special for $7. See I'm a sucker for bargains and stood there reasoning with myself that I really dolove yoghurt, so why not pay a teeny bit more for a whopping great tub of it? Furthermore this way I could eat until my hearts content and still have those few tablespoons left at the end for my starter. God when will I learn? There isalwaysa reason things are on special. We arrived home all excited about the thick Greek yoghurt we were about to eat, spooned generously into bowls and eaten as quickly as possible... but as I opened the tub it soon became clear why it was reduced. Gulp. It looked like cottage cheese with thick curds floating in whey. Oh dear. At first I thought it was off, but after a quick smell and then a tentative taste it was revealed that it was in actual fact still edible, it had just been 'brewed' for way too long, or at too higher temperature. (See I've done that before myself, on a hot Perth day recently. I left my yoghurt doing it's thing for as long as I usually would in cooler weather, only to find later on it could have been put in the fridge hours earlier). It's lucky for me this Greek yoghurt was still edible because I use the self-serve checkouts at the supermarket and more often than not choose not to print out a receipt. Note to self: always print out a receipt if there is any slight chance of needing to return goods.

The kids immediately turned their noses up at it, declaring they no longer wanted any. But me being me I couldn't just waste it now could I? Especially when it's a whole 2kg of the stuff! I set about straining it all in a sieve set over a bowl, separating the curds and whey. The whey's still in the fridge waiting to be used to make bread while the thick strained yoghurt got used to make a couple of batches of these delicious mango and banana popsicles/ ice-blocks/ icy-poles (depending on where you are from).

They are basically a smoothie, frozen. With the combination of banana, mango and yoghurt making them super creamy and naturally sweet. They were perfect for us but if you like things a little sweeter (and always keeping in mind that freezing things mellows the sweetness also) you can add a little honey or agave nectar if that's your thing.

I'll leave you with a bunch of photos taken earlier today in Fremantle. Summer is in the air for sure...

I hope you've all had a beautiful weekend xxx ~emm

mango yoghurt popsiclesIf fresh mangoes are not available (yes NZ I'm talking to you), I'm sure you could get away with using drained, tinned ones. To make these lactose-free, just use lactose-free plain yoghurt in place of the Greek yoghurt.Makes 4-6 depending on the size of your moulds.

2 ripe mangoes, peeled, seed removed and flesh roughly chopped

1 ripe banana, peeled

1 cup thick Greek yoghurt

Blend the mango and banana in a food processor until smooth. Add yoghurt and pulse a few times to just incorporate. Spoon into popsicle (ice-block/icy pole) moulds, push in the sticks and freeze overnight. Run the bottom of the moulds under warm water to release.

Oooh, yummy! I have kilos of mango in the freezer right next to my black skinned banannas, I could process them with the yoghurt and quickly refreeze them- Yumm...Have you tried using pro-biotics to use as a starter for your yoghurt? I'm going to give them a try with my coconut yoghurt.

Tried commenting last night but the computer went stupid so: the mango ice blocks look gorgeous (and thanks for the concession to canned mango ;) but what I was really wondering is how do you use whey in bread recipes? What does it do exactly? I love the idea of not having to waste it next time I make cheese :)

Laura @ hungryandfrozen~ Oh yes, no need to waste whey, it's amazing stuff. Full of protein and calcium. It's great added to smoothies or used in bread in place of all or some of the water content. It improves the texture of bread, giving more structure (always good with gf breads!) and give a nice golden colour to the crust. It's great used in things like scones (kinda works a little like buttermilk I reckon). I store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days or freeze it for later use. I don't usually have much hanging around these days but when I used to make milk kefir (I need to buy more grains!) I used to have excess whey all the time!If you're brave (like my mum) you can even just skull it back straight to get a shot of nutrients ;-)